Explaining why he jumped ship after the Iowa Straw Poll, Pawlenty said: "I came in third place behind Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul. I think that's more than any one person can endure."

Pawlenty was good-natured and even kind of funny with Colbert, who had ridiculed his short-lived campaign. The former Minnesota governor — whose bid was most notable for being completely not notable — blamed his failure to gain traction on his lack of an "entertainment component."